In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as "Diamond Princess". The present variety was hybridized in 1984 by us in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). It was the result of a seedling using Red Diamond (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,165) nectarine as the selected seed parent and an unnamed peach seedling as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects.
The fruit produced by the present variety most nearly resembles the fruit of Redtop (not patented) by being a freestone peach that ripens in late June, but is distinguished therefrom an an improvement thereon by having a more globose shape, by having almost full red skin color at ripening time and by being extremely firm in texture, making it more desirable to the long distant shipper.
The present variety exhibits desirable characteristics common to its selected seed parent, Red Diamond (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,165) nectarine, by producing heavy crops of fruit that are nearly full red in color at harvest time, freestone in type, and very firm in texture, and also that ripens in late June. It noticeably differs from the Red Diamond by being a peach instead of a nectarine and by having a large blossom instead of a small blossom.